Indonesia Confirms Deal To Build World Class Hotel Resort On Bali’s Sister Island 

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Bali’s neighboring island of Lombok will soon welcome a huge new luxury hotel. The Indonesian state-owned enterprise ITDC, which is also in charge of the Bali-based resort of Nusa Dua, has just signed a multi-trillion rupiah contract to develop the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Lombok. 

Mandalika in Lombok is one of Indonesia’s super-priority destinations. The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has identified five super-priority destinations to help promote tourism growth around the country.

The project has often been referred to as the mission to make ‘five new Bali’s’ but in reality, the objective is to highlight the cultural and natural wonders of each destination in their own right.

The five destinations are Mandalika in Lombok, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, and Likupang in North Sulawesi. 

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Last year top tourism and business leaders in Indonesia came together to discuss how Indonesia’s three leading tourism provinces, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and Bali could come together to be managed and developed further as one cohesive destination.

The area, now referred to as Bali Nusra, is home to iconic travel destattions such a Nusa Penida, the Gili Islands, Komodo National Park, and the Flores Islands to name but a few.

The announcement that the ITDC has secured a huge amount of funding to develop the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Lombok is right on time, as work starts to be signed off on at the country’s current biggest tourism redevelopment, Sanur. In May the Bali International Hospital in Sanur will officially open its doors, marking the start of a whole new chapter for the Special Economic Zone for Medical Tourism in Sanur.

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The ITDC, are now looking to the Mandalika Special Economic Zone in Lombok as its next big development project.

The President Director of the ITDC, Ari Respati, spoke to reporters are the signing of the joint venture partnership agreement in Nusa Dua on Tuesday 22nd April. He shared “This is an important step in adding to the portfolio of world class acomodaiotn in the eastern Mandalika area, especially Tanjung Aan Beach.”

The five star hotel project has secured IDR 2.1 trillion in investment as part of a joint venture between the ITDC and corporations from across Indonesia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The funding partnership and development agreement have been signed off in a contract known in Indonesia as a LUDA. 

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Respati added, “We are optimistic that the project will have a significant positive impact on local economic growth, job creation, and the acceleration of tourism infrastructure development.”

The luxury hotel complex will span over 101,000 square meters on Tanjung Aan Beach which can be found in the central south of Lombok. It is just a 30-minute drive from Lombok Airport and a 1 hour and 40-minute drive from Pamenang Bangsal Port which connects Lombok to the Gili Islands. 

Tanjung Aan Beach has retained much of its local island charm over the years. It offers crystal clear waters, shallow and safe-to-swim shores, and some of the softest, whitest sand on the sea. The beach itself is rarely crowded and is still lined with traditional warungs and beach huts.

It is possible to walk from Tanjung Aan Beach out to Tanjung Bongo Viewpoint, where those who embark on the 15-20-minute walk will be blessed with the most magical sunset views around.

Traveling from Bali to Lombok has never been easier. There are multiple daily crossings by fast boat and ferry, departing from both Sanur and Padangbai.

There are very affordable daily flights from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport domestic terminal to Lombok International Airport.

Many tourists choose to split their vacation time between Bali, the Gili Islands, and Lombok to experience both a blend of cultures and incredible volcanic landscapes and coastal vistas.